1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a data processing system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program product for automatically removing a user from an e-mail thread.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet is a global network of computers and networks joined together by gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of a sending network to a protocol used by a receiving network. On the Internet, any computer may communicate with any other computer. Information between computers travels over the Internet through a variety of languages also referred to as protocols. The set of protocols used on the Internet is called the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
The Internet has revolutionized communications and commerce as well as being a source of information and entertainment. For many users, e-mail is a widely used format to communicate over the Internet. It is commonplace for users to send e-mail messages to others users through the Internet.
The use of e-mail messages is commonplace for personal and business use. E-mail messages are used by individuals to keep in touch with and communicate with other users. Additionally, e-mail messages provide a medium to collaborate and exchange documents.
Unsolicited e-mail is a common problem in many Internet environments. A related issue, perhaps more specific to corporate environments, surrounds long-running threads of e-mail where numerous individuals are on the carbon copy (CC) list. People on that CC list typically fall into one of three categories, active participants, people with an interest in the thread, and people without an interest in the thread. People without an interest in an e-mail thread often end up being added to the CC list when their role was misunderstood, their interest in the thread was misunderstood, or the discussion in an e-mail thread shifted from the original topic that they were interested in.
In order to be removed from a thread of an e-mail, there is no automatic way in e-mail systems today. What can be done in e-mail clients is to filter/hide an e-mail, such as with the “Ignore Conversation” capability in Microsoft Outlook Express. The problem with this solution is while it hides the problem for the person wishing to opt-out, other participants in the e-mail thread are unaware of the decision to opt-out, and this may mislead them as to the person's intentions.
A more manual approach would be to “Reply All” to the last e-mail in the thread and ask to be removed from further communications on the subject. This will often generate more e-mails to the person wishing to opt-out, and will not prevent people from adding the removed person to the list at a later stage. This approach relies on someone's willingness to remove the e-mail address of the person opting-out when the next message in the thread is sent.
Thus, while improvements have been made in the area of e-mails, a need for improvement exists.